Improved baby-jumper



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.O

VILLIAM GIBSON, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA.

IMPRovED BABY-JUNI PER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,849, dated June 26, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GIBSON, of Fort Wayne, Allen county, State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved Baby- Jumper; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specication, -in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my iinproved baby-jumper. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the extensible supporting-post and its step and cap pieces. Fig. 3 shows, in detail, the man ner of applyin g the spring to its post.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to an improved babyjnmper for exercising young children and teaching them to use their lower limbs, at the same time affording thema source of amusement, by suspending them from a spring in such manner that they' can jump from the Hoor by a slight exertion of the feet and body.

The invention is intended for affording a strong and safe support for the spring by whichfthe child is suspended, and such a support as can be readily erected in any room, or removed out of the way when not in immediate use.

The invention is intended principally to obviate the necessity of using a very expensive and cumbrous stand orframe-work for supporting the baby, and to employ instead thereof an eXtensible post which is adapted for holding the suspension-spring, and which is so constructed that it can be sustained in an upright position between the floor and ceiling of a room, and removed at pleasure, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A Al represent two sections of an extensible post, which should be made of sufficient size to possess the requisite degree` of strength and stiffness to prevent them from springing when in use. These two sections are lapped and united together by means of bolts and nuts, as shown in Fig. 2. The bolt a passes through a hole .which is made near the upper end of section A, and through an oblong slot, l), which is through the section A. rEhe bolt a passes through one otanum ber ofholes which are made through the section A. and also through a hole which is through the lower end of the section A. .By loosening the nut on the bolt a and relnoving the bolt c', the sections A A can be extended and the post increased in length, or contracted and the post shortened, thus adapting it for rooms of different heights.

The upper and lower ends of said extensible post are turned round, so as to form pivots for entering-sockets in the upper and lower bearing pieces, I3 and O, and turning freely therein, The-piece B rests upon the lioor J, and forms a step for the post, and it is provided with two or more spurs or dowel-pins, which enter holes made in the floor, and prevent the step from being moved out of place casually.

The piece C receives the upper end of the post A A', and forms a cap for keeping this end in place when said post is properly applied to the ceiling. The cap and step may be made either of metal or of wood, and the ends of the post A A-l may be provided with metal ferrules if this post is made of wood.

The uppersection, A', of the post has a T- shaped mortise, c, through it some distance from its upper end, and above this` mortise is avertically oblong slot, al. Both of these slots are intended for receiving through them the curved spring D, from which the child is snspended, as shown in Fig. l. The T mortise c receives the lower end of the spring D, which end is notched, as shown in Fig. 3, so that its reduced neck will t snugly into the vertical portion of the mortise and receive over it a wedge-key, g, which secures this end of the spring rmly in place without any other fastenmg. l

By driving out the key g the spring D can be detached from the post. The upper or straight portion ofthe spring D passes through the oblong slot d, and projects from the post any required distance. At or near the outer end of the spring D a rope, h, is fastened, having on its lower end any suitable means by which achild can be securely and comfortably attached. I prefer to have a waistband, G, attached by two or more ropes to the rope h, and to apply to this band a pair of trousers,

in which a very young child can be safely placed. Any form of support or tender can be applied to the rope h which may be found most desirable and convenient.

The post A A is erected by first securing the step B to the floor, as above mentioned, and then loosening` the bolts a ci', so as to allow the post to be adjusted lengthwise. The cap O is then placed on top of the post, and the latter erected between the ceiling and floor of a room and extended; after which the bolts ci a are tightened.

When properly erected the post will rotate freely in its bearings B C, and maintain its upright position between the ceiling and the floor. The rope h can be attached to the spring Dat any desired distance from the post, according to the weight of the child to be suspended from it.

When the contrivance is not in immediate use the several parts of which it is composed can be separated and the whole packed away in a very small compass.

If it is not desired to have the post turn around when it is erected, as above described, the ends thereof can be in ade square and fitted into corresponding sockets formed in the step and cap pieces. If desirable, the post can be made of metal, iii which case a rod may be fitted to slide in a tubular section and provided with adjusting set-screws for securing the two sections together.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the postA A can be removed from its socketpieces .B and C by lifting this post up so that its lower end will clear the step-piece. In this case the said step and cap pieces will remain in position-one on the floor and the other on the ceiling. To apply said post again to the fixed pieces B and C, its upper end is inserted into the socket-piece C and its lower end dropped into the piece B.

Having thus described my invention, .what

I claiin as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The extensible post A A', in combination with step and cap pieces B C, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a spring, D, or its equivalent, with an extensible post, A A', substantially as described.

3. The combination of a strap, G, a spring, D, and a post which will rotate when it is erected between two fixed objects, substantially as described.

WILLIAM GIBSON.

Witnesses R. T. CAMPBELL, EDw. SCHAFER. 

